Relentless

by Sybil Bartel

  The motorcyclist with the gun missed the turn, but the one behind us stayed on our tail.

  “Ten-four,” the man on the phone replied. “I’ll pick you up on Southwest Eighth Street or Twelfth Avenue and follow you to the hospital. Leaving base now.”

  “No hospital,” I repeated.

  “Knight?” the man on the line asked.

  Ignoring me, Thomas stepped on the gas and drove through a yellow light. “Yes, hospital.”

  “VIP client?” the man asked.

  “Affirmative,” Thomas answered. “Fallon Amherst. Call ahead.”

  “Copy that,” the man answered. “And I see your location now on the tracking app. On my way.” He hung up.

  The motorcyclist pulled up alongside us.

  THE PRICK ON THE NINJA I didn’t lose pulled up next to her window.

  “Thomas!”

  For the second time, she said my name. Damn, I loved hearing that.

  “We’re good, babe. The vehicle’s armored.” I could take the fucker out with one sharp turn of the wheel, but I didn’t want to draw attention. The single most valuable skill my previous employer had taught me was to never fucking garner attention. He’d also taught me plenty of other shit, like the merits of a good hacksaw. Memories I preferred not to think about surfaced, and I shook my head.

  Her hands crossed over her chest, Fallon glanced at the asshole on the bike, then edged away from the door with alarm. “Please,” she panted. “Make him go away.”

  Fighting an inappropriate smile, I took a sharp turn. She didn’t tell me to get us out of this situation or to slow down or to call the cops. She told me to get rid of the prick.

  “I’d love to take him out,” I admitted. “But traffic cams and witnesses will only slow us down.” Taking a risk, I put my hand on the back of her neck. “And I want to get you checked out.” Giving her a smile and a quick squeeze of reassurance, I took the wheel with both hands again and blew through a red light.

  The prick on the bike had to fall back to our six.

  She rubbed her own arms as if she were cold. “I’m fine.” She glanced behind us.

  I turned on to Twelfth and saw a black Escalade fall in behind the Ninja as my cell rang.

  I answered on speaker. “Knight.”

  “It’s Shade. I have visual. Another Ninja is coming up on your left. Take your next right, and we’ll approach the hospital from the west. Get the client inside, I’ll handle your tail. Still only two of them?”

  “Affirmative and copy.” I hung up and accelerated through the next turn.

  “Please.” Her voice barely a whisper, she begged. “Don’t take me to the hospital.”

  There was no way in hell I wasn’t getting her checked out. “I’ll make you a promise.” After years of practice, I knew how to navigate an ER visit. “I’ll get you in and out of there as soon as possible.”

  A Luna and Associates employee I’d never met gunned his black company Escalade and flew past us on our right.

  Cutting me off, he swerved into my lane.

  “Watch out!” Fallon grabbed the ceiling handle.

  Expecting the move, I braked to let Shade in. “I got it under control.” Counting to two like Luna had taught me, I gunned it and swerved into the left lane.

  Shade braked hard.

  The motorcycle that had been behind me slammed on his brakes to keep from plowing in to Shade before he swerved right.

  The second Ninja flew past both SUVs.

  I made a left turn into the hospital’s back parking lot, and Shade pulled in behind me.

  Driving to the Emergency entrance, I stopped right in front. “Wait for me.” Leaving the engine running for Shade, I rounded the front of the Escalade and opened the front passenger door.

  Her arms crossed, her torso slightly bent like she was in pain, Fallon shook her head. “I’m not going in. I don’t need a doctor. I need to see my daughter.”

  Half a dozen different ways I could’ve responded to her or coerced her, I took the approach I’d want in her situation. “Having had my fair share of hospital visits over the years, I can understand your hesitation, but both me and the man you met back at the club noticed your discomfort, babe. I’m no medic, but Talon Talerco was, and if the situation were reversed and he told me to get checked out, I would.” I held my hand out to her. “Please, let’s go in.”

  Still holding her chest, still breathing hard, she stared at me. “How old were you when we first met?”

  Taken off guard, I didn’t answer immediately because my instinct kicked in and I instantly knew I was navigating a mine field. No good would come from giving her a direct answer. “That was a long time ago, sweetheart.”

  “Is Summer going to be okay?”

  I didn’t sugarcoat it. “If she dries out and decides to stay clean, she’ll be fine.”

  “Her… injuries?”

  I nodded once. “She’ll be fine. Talon, the man you met at the club, he’s the one who stitched her up.”

  Wearing a Luna and Associates polo and a shoulder and a thigh holster, a dark-haired man with ink covering his arms strode up. Scanning the parking lot, he tipped his chin at me. “Knight.”

  “Shade,” I said by way of greeting.

  “Mrs. Amherst.” Shade spared her a cursory glance before looking behind us as motorcycles sounded in the distance. “You’re out of time, Knight. Get her inside. I’ll handle this.” His hand went to a third gun at his waist.

  First one, then the other Ninja pulled into the hospital’s parking lot.

  I undid Fallon’s seat belt. “Time to move.”

  “Fuck me,” Shade muttered, moving in front of us and drawing. “Incoming fire.”

  The first shot rang out, followed by two more.

  Grabbing my arms, Fallon screamed.

  Shade aimed, but he didn’t pull the trigger. Calm as fuck, he nodded toward the entrance of the ER, where security was already running out toward us. “Grab her and go. I’ll handle these fucks.” Walking toward the oncoming bikes as three more shots plinked off the SUV, he aimed. “No time like the present to quit stalling, Knight.” He fired one shot.

  The first motorcycle flew ass over end, throwing the driver off as the front tire was blown out.

  I picked up Fallon and ran toward the sliding glass doors as a security guard and a sheriff came rushing out, guns drawn.

  “Stop!” the security guard yelled.

  “Luna and Associates security. I called ahead. I’m bringing in Fallon Amherst.”

  Four more shots rang out.

  Fallon jerked in my arms.

  The sheriff blocked the entrance as he aimed at us. “We’re now on lockdown. You’re not bringing this inside.”

  Fuck. “Shade, coming back! Cover us!”

  I pivoted with Fallon still in my arms.

  Shade stepped in front of us. “Move, move, move.” He unloaded his magazine as I threw Fallon in the SUV and rounded the front of the vehicle.

  Jumping in the driver seat and throwing the Escalade into gear, I put Fallon’s window down a couple inches. “Shade, get in!”

  Reloading, not even ducking from the shots plinking off the SUV, he slammed the new magazine home and aimed. “Go. I got this.” He fired off one shot.

  I glanced in the rearview mirror as Shade’s shot hit the first motorcyclist who’d been thrown off his bike but was still firing. His head snapped back as a bullet sliced into his neck.

  I stepped on the gas.

  HYPERVENTILATING, IN A COMPLETE STATE of panic, I didn’t think it could get worse as Thomas tossed me in the SUV.

  Then he jogged around the front of the vehicle while bullets rained down outside.

  I thought I was going to die of fright.

  Dolphin Boy.

  Thomas.

  My Thomas.

  Oh dear God, don’t let him get killed.

  Shame, regret, fear, acute and consuming, for him, for me, for what Summer must’ve gone through getting shot—I could
n’t take it.

  Thomas got behind the wheel and put my window down a couple inches. “Shade, get in!”

  “Go.” Shade reloaded his gun and aimed at the men shooting at us. “I got this.” He pulled the trigger.

  Thomas stepped on the gas, and the heavy SUV shot forward.

  “Keep breathing for me, baby, nice and even,” Thomas commanded absently as he grabbed his cell. Driving one handed, speeding out of the hospital lot, he dialed and held his phone to his ear for a few seconds before hanging up.

  He could have been shot.

  Summer had been shot.

  Oh God.

  This. Everything. It was all too real.

  What was I thinking, asking that bartender for Julio Estevez? Anger, at myself, at Summer for getting involved with these people, for bringing that laptop into my house.

  Oh my God, the laptop.

  “My car,” I blurted. “It’s at the club.” I couldn’t lose that laptop. Not now. Those men were going to kill for it.

  “I’ll have someone retrieve it later.” Checking his rearview mirror, Thomas dialed another number, then hung up a few seconds later. Frowning, he tossed his cell on the center console, then used the controls on the steering wheel to make another call. “How are you feeling, sweetheart? I need an honest answer. Do you feel dizzy, nauseous, arm tingling or numbness? Are you having any kind of real trouble breathing? I won’t hesitate taking you to county hospital, but I don’t have backup right now.”

  The ringing from the call he’d made filled the car.

  “I’m fine,” I lied, hating that he was still using terms of endearment when I’d all but screamed at him for a night I participated in as much as he did. “I don’t need a hospital. I’m just…” I swallowed what little pride I had left. “I was panicking.”

  Thomas’s frown deepened.

  Three more rings sounded through the speakers, and the call connected. “You’ve reached André Luna of Luna and Associates. Please leave a detailed message with your call back information, and someone will get back to you shortly.”

  Thomas waited for the beep. “It’s Knight. I can’t get ahold of anyone, and I’m not heading to base without backup. I need Talerco for a wellness check, Fallon’s Mercedes retrieved from Frenzy, and a status update before we come in. You’ll know where I’m heading.” Thomas hung up.

  Trying not to stare at the man who saved my life tonight, I asked the wrong question. “How will he know where we’re going?”

  “GPS. All the company vehicles are tracked.” Thomas checked the rearview mirror again, then both side mirrors before he took a sharp corner too fast.

  Oh, God. What if he’d driven one of the company SUVs to the hotel last night? As soon as I thought it, I hated myself for it. We’d almost been killed a few moments ago, and I was worried about someone finding out we’d been together all night, when in reality, André Luna had already witnessed my spectacular display in front of his office this morning.

  Wrapping my arms around myself even tighter, I wanted to crawl into a hole and not get out for a month, but I didn’t have that option right now. My heart was hurting, and I was sitting in a vehicle that smelled more like Thomas than his own skin last night, and I couldn’t breathe.

  I knew I was panicking. Rationally, I knew it. I wasn’t having a heart attack. But it felt like it. It felt like this awful pounding adrenaline and desperate lack of control over everything around me was never going to end, and I’d become a withering pile of skin and bones, unable to form coherent sentences, let alone breathe normally again.

  Worse, underneath all of that was a layer of anger toward Summer so thick, it was only eclipsed by the saturation of hatred for Leo I was swimming in. All I wanted was a way out.

  That’s what last night had been about.

  A way out.

  An escape, if even for a few hours.

  I’d been looking for a handle to pull, a rope to grab, an anchor to drop, something, anything, to tether me to a life not ruled by anxiety over the influence of my ex.

  And I’d found it.

  Just like I had eleven years ago.

  Except it wasn’t an it. The blond-haired boy who was my talisman back then was now the blond-haired man who’d been my perfect distraction last night and my only savior tonight.

  My thoughts were so murky, and my heart was at war with my head. Betrayal was the pain in my chest and taste in my mouth, and I no longer knew if fate was my tormentor or my redeemer.

  And God help me, in that moment, I didn’t care.

  My burdens had become his, and I was selfishly letting him carry them.

  MY CELL VIBRATED WITH A text, and I glanced at it as I drove down the county road to my ranch.

  Luna: Got your msg. Talerco’s on his way to your place. Two at hospital down. One from the club down. Second in the wind. Ty’s on it. Summer unaccounted for. On my way to the hospital to deal with Miami PD. After Shade gives his statement, I’ll send him to you as backup. Pendejo at club said something about a laptop before giving me the slip. Any idea what that’s about?

  Grabbing my cell, I dialed Luna and held the phone to my ear.

  Luna picked up immediately. “I have thirty seconds. I’m pulling into the hospital now. Do you know anything about a laptop?”

  “No, I don’t. The prick asked me the same thing.”

  “Copy that. My money’s on the daughter. We’re looking for her now. Her padre isn’t happy she skipped on the rehab and he still has to foot the bill.”

  “Seems to me that’s the wrong thing to focus on.” Leo Amherst was a fucking tool.

  I glanced at Fallon. Studiously looking out the window, she hadn’t spoken since she’d asked how Luna would know where we were heading.

  Her breathing had slowed, but she still had her arms defensively around herself, and it was fucking with me hard. I wanted to pull over and take her into my arms, but something she’d asked me earlier kept replaying in my head. How old were you when we first met?

  She was tripping on the age difference and how we met.

  I knew she was.

  “No shit,” Luna clipped. “But Amherst was never gonna win father of the year. Hang tight at your place until we find that last bastard. Talerco should be close, and Shade will be on his way shortly, so you’ll have backup for the night. Hell of a time to ask, but you good with the Amherst woman?”

  The real question, was she good with me? Who fucking knew, but she didn’t have a choice at the moment. I was keeping her safe whether she liked it or not. “All good. And let Talerco know to go to the stables.”

  “Copy that. Report later.” Luna hung up.

  I pocketed my phone and turned down the access road that led to my ranch.

  “Who was that?” she quietly asked.

  “Luna.”

  “Is he looking for Summer?”

  I glanced at her because her tone was off, but she was still turned toward the window, so I couldn’t see her face. “Yes. Your ex isn’t happy she left rehab.”

  She didn’t comment. She didn’t even nod.

  The Escalade was a smoother ride on the dirt lane than my truck, but the SUV still bounced over the natural divots that’d formed after the last hard rain. I made a mental note to fill the potholes.

  “Where are we going?”

  Not knowing if she’d freak the hell out if I told her we were going to my place, I hesitated. “Somewhere you’ll be safe until Luna handles Estevez’s men.”

  “How long is that going to take?”

  Hopefully long enough for her to accept an apology from me. “Not long.”

  I turned into my driveway and drove past the main house. I hadn’t been here at night in a couple weeks, and the outside lighting the contractor had put in looked good. Around a bend in the drive, I spied the stables that also had new outdoor lighting.

  I pulled in front of the double doors and threw the SUV into park. “Wait here, darlin’.” I got out, unlocked the stable’s doors and
pulled them both open. Getting back in the Escalade, I drove in and cut the engine.

  Looking more nervous than a few minutes ago, Fallon glanced around the darkened, empty stables.

  “Hang on, I’ll come get you.” I hopped out and scanned the grounds for any sign of life, then I closed the stable doors and turned on one of the overhead lights in an empty stall just to give us something to see by. Going to the passenger door, I opened it for her.

  She looked over my shoulder. “Where are we?”

  “My place,” I admitted.

  Her gaze cut to mine. “You live in a barn?”

  I wasn’t sure if I was pissed off at her tone or amused. “Main house is being renovated, but it’s not finished yet. For now, there’s an apartment upstairs that is renovated.”

  She blinked. “That house we passed is yours?”

  I couldn’t tell if she looked shocked or incredulous, and I wasn’t happy about either. “Yes.”

  Her eyebrows drew together. “Who do you live with?”

  I held her gaze. “Myself.” I hadn’t lied to her last night. There was no one in my life—unless you counted an eleven-year-old ghost of a memory.

  She stared at me for a long moment. “Where are the horses?”

  I didn’t have any. “I haven’t moved in or hired a ranch hand yet.”

  She glanced at the eight stalls. “Once you move in, you’re going to get horses?”

  “That’s the plan.” I held my hand out. “Come on, let’s get you upstairs.” Talerco would be here soon.

  Inhaling, she tentatively released one of her arms around herself and took my hand.

  The second her skin touched mine, it took everything I had not to pull her into my arms.

  Her feet touched the ground, and she instantly withdrew her hand.

  Frowning, I shut the door. “This way.” I led her to the interior stairwell at the back of the stables and went up first.

  I was expecting the furniture I ordered when I unlocked the apartment and hit the overhead light, but I wasn’t expecting what I walked into.

  The couches, coffee table, lamps and entertainment center were all neatly arranged on a rug I didn’t order, and the kitchen table I’d bought was set for two. There were fresh-cut flowers on the kitchen counter and a note next to it.